Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Factbox: Latest on the spread of the coronavirus around the world

President Donald Trump signed into law a $2.2 trillion aid package to help the United States cope with the economic downturn inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged, began lifting a two-month lockdown. DEATHS, INFECTIONS

Airbnb hosts to provide free rooms for British health workers

Airbnb hosts will provide free rooms for workers in Britain's National Health Service (NHS) to support their work during the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Sunday. Nearly 1,500 places to stay have been made available under the scheme amid a slump in bookings on the home rental start-up as travel restrictions and curbs on social gatherings come into force around the world.

Your COVID-19 questions, answered

There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the coronavirus, so we took to Instagram, Twitter and Reddit to see what questions have been bugging you, our readers.Below are answers from several healthcare experts who have been following the outbreak. Please note that there is much we still don’t know about the new virus, and you should reach out to your own healthcare provider with any personal health concerns. LIVING UNDER LOCKDOWN

What we don’t yet know about the coronavirus

It has been only three months since reports first emerged from China of an unknown virus causing unusual cases of pneumonia, and scientists and public health experts already know more about it and how it works than at the same point in earlier outbreaks. But there's still a lot they don't know.

Shellshocked Spain reports record 832 new coronavirus deaths

Spain's coronavirus fatalities rose by a record 832 people overnight to 5,690 as hospitals and morgues were overwhelmed and a police chief fought back tears announcing a colleague's death. Second only to Italy in fatalities, Spain also saw infections rise to 72,248 on Saturday from 64,059 the day before.

Italy coronavirus death toll surges past 10,000; lockdown extension likely

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy barrelled past 10,000 on Saturday, a figure that made an extension of a national lockdown almost certain. Officials said 889 more people died in the previous 24 hours, the second highest daily tally since the epidemic emerged on Feb. 21, and that total fatalities reached 10,023.

Mexico asks residents to stay home for a month to slow coronavirus as cases rise

Mexico's deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell called on Saturday on all residents in Mexico to stay at home for a month, saying it was the only way to reduce the transmission rate of the coronavirus. Mexican health authorities said there was a total of 848 confirmed cases in Mexico as of Saturday, 131 more than the previous day, and 16 deaths.

Australia PM says social distancing helping to slow coronavirus spread

Australia's rate of the spread of the novel coronavirus has halved in recent days, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday as he announced an additional A$1.1 billion ($680 million) to expand telemedicine care and other health services. Morrison said that the daily increase in cases in recent days was at about 13%-15%, down from 25%-30% seen a week ago, showing social distancing measures were working.

Toughest weeks ahead in coronavirus fight, warns French PM

The next two weeks will be the toughest yet in the fight against coronavirus in France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned on Saturday as his government raced to add intensive care beds and source protective gear. The outbreak initially took hold in eastern France, where hospitals have become overwhelmed, and has been spreading west. Doctors in the greater Paris region have said their intensive care units will be full by the end of the weekend.

Trump drops idea of New York lockdown as U.S. death count crosses 2,000

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would issue a travel warning for the hard-hit New York area to limit the spread of the coronavirus, backing off from an earlier suggestion that he might try to cut off the region entirely. "A quarantine will not be necessary," he said on Twitter.